COLUMBIA, United States — Darline Graham Nordone will become South Carolina’s first female senator after Governor Henry McMaster appointed her to complete the term of her late brother, Senator Lindsey Graham.
McMaster announced the appointment on Monday, July 13, 2026, two days after Graham died at the age of 71.
Nordone will hold the seat until the six-year term expires on January 3.
The Republican governor described the selection as a responsibility imposed by state law and a tribute to the longtime senator.
“Today, under the law, it’s my duty to and honour to name someone to serve in the place of this irresistible man, this irreplaceable man, this extraordinary man, for the remainder of his term,” McMaster said at a news conference attended by Nordone.
“Lindsey took care of his little sister in years long departed. It’s my honour to ask his little sister Darline Graham to finish his work for him now,” he added.
Nordone thanked the governor after accepting the temporary appointment.
“It is such an honour,” she said. “Lindsey has always been there for me, and now I will be there for him.”
Trump Recommended Nordone
President Donald Trump had earlier urged McMaster to choose Nordone, writing on Truth Social that her appointment would be “a fabulous tribute to Lindsey”.
Senator Tim Scott also supported her selection after speaking with her.
“Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, would be a fantastic pick to serve out the remainder of the senate term,” Scott wrote on X. “After speaking with Darline, there is no one better who understands Lindsey’s love for family, our state, and our country.”
Graham’s office said on Sunday that the senator’s preliminary cause of death was a rupture of his aorta associated with hardening of the arteries.
He had been seeking a fifth Senate term and had defeated a wealthy challenger in South Carolina’s Republican primary the previous month.
A Family Bond After the Loss of Their Parents
Graham became responsible for his younger sister after their parents died within 15 months of each other.
Their mother died of Hodgkin lymphoma when Graham was 20. Their father later suffered a fatal heart attack, leaving Nordone orphaned at 13.
Graham legally adopted her and assumed responsibility for her upbringing.
“I don’t know what I would have done without him,” Nordone said during a joint Fox News interview with her brother in 2015.
That year, while introducing Graham at the launch of his Republican presidential campaign in South Carolina, she recalled how he responded after their father’s death.
“It was a really tough time for us,” Nordone said. “I can remember the day my father passed away, standing in the living room of that house, absolutely scared to death. Lindsey wrapped his arms around me and promised me that he would always be there for me and always take care of me. And I can assure you he’s done that. He has never let me down.”
Nordone is the commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, a state agency that provides vocational and independent-living training to people who are blind or have low vision.
She studied sociology at the College of Charleston and received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1989.
Special Election Contest Takes Shape
Nordone has not indicated whether she will seek election to the seat after her temporary service ends.
Candidates will have one week from July 21 to file for an August 11 special primary election.
South Carolina businessman Mark Lynch, who lost to Graham in the Republican primary, plans to enter the contest, his spokesman, Liam Ford, said. Lynch intends to commit $5 million to his campaign.
Representative Nancy Mace, who recently lost a Republican gubernatorial primary, is strongly considering a Senate bid, according to a person familiar with her deliberations.
Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette is also being encouraged to run after losing a gubernatorial primary runoff.
A person close to Evette said she received “dozens of phone calls and texts” after Graham’s death, including messages from organisations involved in federal politics.
Representative Joe Wilson ruled out seeking the seat, saying on X that he had assured Trump that his “goal is to remain in the House to keep his two-vote majority for the American people!!!”
